A wide variety of retail displays have been proposed which use hook fixtures mounted in panels. A common form uses a plastic hook mounted in a horizontal or vertical slot in a panel such as cardboard. The panels, hooks and product may be prepackaged.
Examples of product displays using horizontal slots may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,671,417 and 3,273,844. A display using a vertical slot may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,252,678.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,417 the hook is provided with a rear finger which closely conforms to the horizontal slot and hooks over the lower edge of the slot. The finger exerts a spring pressure against the back of the panel below the slot. A downward force on the forwardly projecting hook tends to pull the top of the finger forward and may tear the panel. Moreover, such a force tends to reduce the spring pressure of the finger against the back of the panel below the slot.
In the U.S. Pat. No. 3,273,844, while the hook back wall extends upwardly, the offset portion of the hook nonetheless closely conforms tot he slot and excessive downward pressure on the hook may tend to tear the panel at the corners of the slot. Moreover, the hook is difficult to insert.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,252,678 the mounting end of the hook fits closely over the bottom end of a vertical slot. However, excessive force on the projecting hook may tend to tear the panel at the bottom corners of the slot.
It is therefore desirable that the hook be easy to insert yet not closely engage the edges or corners of the slot when inserted, nor exert a force moment which might tend to tear the panel at the corners of the slot. It is also desirable that the front or face plate of the mounting end of the hook obscure the die cut slot. It is also desirable that the spring pressure tending to hold the mounting end of the hook to the panel increase if a downward load is placed on the projecting hook.